Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “twitch” come from?

Twitch comes from Old English twiċċan, from Proto-Germanic kwikwaz, from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, ultimately derived from the root gʷeih₃w-.

twitch (English): A brief, small movement out of place and then...

Definitions

  1. A brief, small movement out of place and then...

Ancestry of “twitch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishquitchTo shake ; to stir, move; To stir; to move; To...
2Middle Englishquicchen—
3Old Englishcweċċanto shake, swing, move, vibrate, shake off, give...
4Proto-Germanickwakjanąto shake, shake about, jolt, swing; to shake,...
5Proto-Indo-Europeangʷog-to shake, swing

Words derived from “twitch”

  • twitchy
  • twitcher
  • twitchiness
  • atwitch
  • twitchily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷog- →